Bought a Colt AR-15 couple questions

[onthecount]

Just bought a Colt AR-15 Match Targat HBAR II. First question, since it did not have a flash suppressor on it, I was wondering if it was possible to have one added (I live in NY, so it has to be welded on) can I take it to a gun smith have the barrel shortened then add the permanent suppressor to achieve the required barrel length? Are all colt AR's Mil-Spec? The rifling on this model is 1/9, and according to what I've read Mil-Spec is 1/7, just wondering if the rest of the rifle is Mil-Spec since Colt is one of only a handful that builds them. I'd also like to get a new upper (barrel included) in the future but colt only lists two on their website, are colt uppers available on other sites? Last where can I find a fixed pinned tele-style stock? Thanks

 

[Pete D.]

Colt

since it did not have a flash suppressor on it, I was wondering if it was possible to have one added (I live in NY, so it has to be welded on) can I take it to a gun smith have the barrel shortened then add the permanent suppressor to achieve the required barrel length?

I am thinking that, by the time you do all that, you might as well have spent the money on a separate upper. You can find exactly what you want and not have to adapt a perfectly useful upper.
I have an older Colt Match AR; it has a 1-8" twist barrel.....which I do not see available any longer. It is the most accurate rifle that I own.

Flash suppressor - gotta ask yourself if it is worth the expense and the trouble - really just for looks, unless you are going to war. It won't make the gun shoot better.
As to your other questions, you may find this link useful:
http://cheaperthandirt.com/blog/?page_id=96. It is a series of FAQs regarding the Colt ARs.
Peter
































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[madcratebuilder]

1/9 is mil-spec for your rifle. Different bullet weights require different twist rates. Your Colt should have the small or standard size pivot/takedown pin. Any AR15 upper well fit your lower. I would not waste the money cutting on your barrel, just buy a new upper.

 

[Tirod]

Check your local regulations carefully, it may be that a flash suppressor isn't allowed, but a muzzle device is.

The AWB was a cosmetic challenge for owners, not so much for function as it was too specific. It became obvious that if flash hiders weren't legal, muzzle devices to reduce recoil still were, and it even forced changes in competition rules to allow them.

In dealing with states still enforcing AWB, do your homework.

As for pinning a stock, it can be done to any. Basically, when done, it's in one fixed position, which makes any adjustable stock an entirely cosmetic extra cost device. If body armor isn't part of someone's daily wear, it pretty much is, but that's the current fad.

 

[benEzra]

It is my understanding that NY has a 2-features ban like the defunct Federal AWB. IF that is the case, then you can have a protruding handgrip, or an adjustable stock, or a flash suppressor, or a threaded muzzle. Since you have an AR, you have a protruding handgrip already, so you may be limited to brakes rather than flash suppressors.

Flash suppressor - gotta ask yourself if it is worth the expense and the trouble - really just for looks, unless you are going to war.

I disagree, particularly for 16" carbines; .223/5.56x45mm produces a lot of gas, and when hot hydrogen and CO slam into atmospheric oxygen outside the muzzle, they burn brilliantly. Hence, a bare muzzle gives you this:

http://cheaperthandirt.com/blog/?p=2678


http://www.claytonmiller.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/muzzle-flash.jpg
http://www.claytonmiller.com/hunting/cortni-shooting-the-ar15/

Muzzle flash can be annoying even in the daytime, and if you keep a carbine for HD, it could be seriously distracting in an enclosed hallway in dim lighting. The flash can be mitigated somewhat by low-flash powders, but a flash suppressor is still a good idea on a .223, unless you live in one of the few states with wierd hangups about them. Unfortunately, NY may be one of those states.

As for pinning a stock, it can be done to any. Basically, when done, it's in one fixed position, which makes any adjustable stock an entirely cosmetic extra cost device. If body armor isn't part of someone's daily wear, it pretty much is, but that's the current fad.

I'd disagree with this too. Stocks that adjust for length of pull are eminently useful, because no single stock length suits all users and all situations. I shoot the stock full short or one click out in USPSA, but shoot two or three clicks out from the bench, so no single length would suit me. And you really have to be a long-armed galoot in order to fit the A2 fixed stock.

 

[onthecount]

Thanks guys for all the info...I guess I'd just be better off getting a new upper rather than spend the money to put a suppressor on it as you pointed out. I guess my only question remaining is the Mil-Spec question...is mine Mil-Spec? I ask because on another thread it says Colt is only 1 of a handful of manufacturers that make mil-spec rifles but I wasn't sure if that meant all of them are or only certain ones. I'm hoping for the money I spent that mine is. Now its time to find a new upper. I put my eotech on it lastnight, cant wait for the warmer weather to arrive so I can try it out.